From the perspective of a grower or farmer, profitability is partly a function of crop yield, where crop output is maximized relative to input costs. Incentives are also an important part of profitability, where a grower is able to produce a crop meeting preset quality criteria. From a processing and packing perspective, final end product often defines the desired size and shape of raw product. One way to improve crop yield to insure proper amounts of moisture is provided to the crops, for example, through an irrigation system.
Agricultural irrigation systems have been used for centuries to apply water to agricultural crops. One relatively recent type of irrigation system that has developed is drip irrigation. In drip irrigation, water flows at a low pressure (e.g., typically 5 to 15 psi) through flattened tubing that is buried in the ground and the water is discharged through openings in the tubing in close proximity to the root systems of the plants. The water exits at a low pressure from the flattened tubing, which is also referred to as a “drip tape.” A supply header receives water from a water pump and a plurality of the drip tubings, or tapes, are coupled with the supply header in a network of drip tubings corresponding to the particular shape of the field. A drip irrigation system as described above has the advantages of among others directly delivering water and nutrients to an area in close proximity to the root systems of the plants which maximizes plant growth and production, while limiting problems associated with other types of irrigation systems, such as erosion, disease, weed growth, soil saturation, energy costs and water conservation.
While the drip irrigation can be beneficial, the tubing that is buried in the field has a tendency to deteriorate and must be removed from a field at least periodically. For example, the buried tubing can be removed before the next planting cycle in the respective field occurs. The buried tubing used in drip irrigation, however, can be hard to extract from the soil in which it is embedded. It has a tendency to break if too much tension or pressure is placed upon it. Therefore, a need exists for a mechanism that can facilitate the removal of drip tubing from the soil of a field after the usefulness of the tubing has ended.